Mechanism for supplying fastenings



June 18, 1940. E. MOORE I MECHANISM FOR SUPPLYING FASTENINGS Filed Jan. 16, 1959 Patented June 18, 1940 PATENT OFFiCE 2,204,689 MECHANISM FOR SUPPLYING FASTENINGS Ernest Moore, Leicester, England, ,assignor to United Shoe Machinery Corporation, Borough of Flemington, N. Jersey J., a corporation of New Application January 16, 1939; Serial No. 251,151

In Great Britain March 18, 1938 6 Claims.

Tl liS invention relates to mechanisms for supplying fastenings, and more particularly to mechanisms in which the iastenings move downwardly along inclined raceways from the lower ends of which they are separated in succession. The invention is herein illustrated as applied to mechanism of the same general character as disclosed in United States Letters Patent No. 1,002,- 422, granted on September 5, 1911, on an application of R. F. McFeely, for supplying tacks to the tack-driving instrumentalities of shoe ma- .chines such as pulling-over machines or certain types of lasting machines. It is to be understood, however, that the invention is more generally applicable to mechanisms for supplying fastenings of various kinds and for various pur-,

, poses.

An object of the invention is toafford better insurance than heretofore, under certain conditions, that fastenings will move downwardly along their raceways at the times when they are required to do so for the proper functioning of the supplying mechanism. A more particular object is to insure that in mechanism for supplying comparatively light-weight tacks such as are sometimes used in shoe machines a proper fiow of tacks along the raceways will take place regardless of friction between the tacks and portions of the mechanism. Tack-supplying mechanism of thecharacter disclosed in the above mentioned Letters Patent includes a cover which i is movahly mounted over the lower end portions of the raceways and may be raised,if desired, to aiford access to the raceways; and for purposes of this invention the construction herein shown comprises means which operates in automatically determined time relation to the usual tack separator at the lower ends of the raceways to lift p the cover ashort distance and then to. release it to cause to drop and jar the raceways. Such jarring of the raceways tends to counteract any tendency for movement of the tacks to be ohstructed by their frictional contact with the raceways; and the lifting of the cover, which is very close to thetacks, serves also to relieve any pressure which the cover may have been applying to the heads of any of the tacks. In mechanism of the illustrated type the tack separator moves in one direction to release the rows of tacks and penfiowmit them to move downwardly a short distance along the raceways and then moves in the opposite direction to separateand deliver the endmost tacks; and in the construction. herein shown the lifting and release of the cover occurs as the 55 separator moves in the direction to release the slide on which the separator is mounted carries a pawl which acts on a finger fast on the cover to lift and release the cover'near the end of the movement of the slide in one direction and is yieldahle upon engagement withthe finger to prevent lifting of the cover as the slide moves in the opposite direction. p

The novel features of the invention, including various novel details of construction and com 'binations of parts, will now be more particularly described with reference to the accompanying drawing and thereafter pointed out in the claims. In the drawing:

Fig. l is a perspective front view of a portion of the tack-supplying mechanism to which the invention is herein illustrated as applied, with the parts in their initial positions;

Fig. 2 shows a portion of the mechanism as viewed substantially in the direction of the arrow A on Figyl with the parts in the same positions;

Fig. 3 is a perspective front view of the righthand end of the tack separator and parts associated therewith, showing the separator just be fore it completes a movement toward the left;

and

Fig. l shows a portion of the mechanism in lefthand side elevation, with theparts in the positions which they occupy when the separator is substantially in the position in which it is shown in Fig. 3.

Tack-supplying mechanism of the well-known type illustrated comprises a plurality of inclined raceways 2 to which tacks are delivered by an oscillatory hopper (not shown) and on which the tacks arrangethemselves in rows, the term raceways being used herein with reference to grooved portions of the structure which support the rows of tacks by their heads and into the grooves of which the shanks of the tacks extend. At the lower ends of the raceways is a separator 4 comprising a plate fastened at its opposite ends to a slide 6 mounted to reciprocate transversely of the raceways and automatically operated in time relation to the movements of the tack hopper. The separator is provided with pointed fingers 8 (Fig. 3) which hold the rows of tacks against downward movement along the raceways until the points of thefingers pass beyond the endmost tacks upon movement of the separator towardthe left, whereupon the rows 2 of tacks are permitted to move downwardly until the endmost tacks are stopped by engagement with shoulders on the separator, as illustrated in Fig. 3. When the separator is thereafter 5 moved toward the right the fingers 8 separate the end tacks from the tacks next in line and deliver them into conduits by which they are conducted to the tack drivers. Mounted over the upper portions of the raceways is a fixed cover 80,- and 10 pivotally mounted on pins iZ-in this fixed cover is a movable cover Iii for the lower end portions of the raceways which may be swung upwardly to afford access to the raceways. In the construction herein shown the movable cover M" is pro- 5 vided, as sometimes heretofore, with a glass plate 66 extending over the lower end portions of the raceways to enable the operator to observe the condition of the tacks therein without lifting the cover. The normal position of the cover M is adjustably determined by screws 58 which are mounted in forwardly projecting lugs thereon and are arranged to rest at their lower ends on plates which are secured to a removable end block 2.2 and overlap the separator 4 and portions 2; of the lower end of the raceway structure. Preferably the adjustment is such that the glass plate i5 isvery close to the heads of the tacks in the raceways so as to prevent the tacks from being displaced in upward directions.

39 For purposes of this invention there is secured to the left-hand end of the movable cover Id, as viewed in 1, a narrow L-shaped strip 24 provided with a finger 26 (Figs. 2 and 4) which projects downwardly to a position in which its lower end is close to a plateza fast on the separator slide 6, this finger being so arranged that by pressure on its rear face the cover Hi may be swung upwardly about the pins l2. Pivotally mounted on a stud 36 on the plate 28 is a pawl 32 the forward end of which is beveled and is arranged to engage a beveled rear face all on the finger 2 5 to lift the cover l4 a short distance, as shown in Fig. 4, as the separator is moved toward the left with reference to an observer at the front of the mechanism, the pawl being held at this time by aspring 36 against a pin 38 on the plate 23. As the separator continues its movement toward the left the pawl is carried past the finger 2%, thus releasing the cover and permitting it to drop to jar the raceways by the impact of the screws l8 on the plates 2i]. Such lifting of the cover occurs substantially at the time when the pointed fingers 3 of the separator pass toward the left out of engagement with the endmost tacks in the raceways, thus relieving any pressure which the cover may have been applying to the heads of any of the tacks'in the raceways at the time when the rows of tacks are released by the separator to permit them to move downward. The finger 26 is, moreover, so narrow the cover is released very shortly after the ends of the fingers & pass beyondthe en-dmost tacks, so that the jarring of the raceways by the falling of the cover contributes to the proper movement of the tacks along the raceways against any such tendency as there may be for their movement to be obstructed by their frictional contact with the raceways. Satisfactory insurance is thus afforded that the rows of tacks will be properly advanced into positions for the endmost tacks to be separated when the separator is thereafter moved toward the right, even though tacks which are comparatively short and light in weight are used. It will be understood that when the separator receives its movement toward the right the cover I4 is not disturbed, since the pawl 32 yields upon contact of the finger 2E5 therewith until it is in position to snap past the finger into contact with the pin 38.

Having described the invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. In mechanism. for supplying fastening s, the combination with a plurality of inclined raceways for fastenings, and means for separating fasteningsfrom the lower ends of said raceways, of a cover movably mounted over the raceways, and means movable relatively to said cover for lifting it and then releasing it to cause it to drop and jar the raceways.

In mechanism for supplying fastenings, the combination with a plurality of inclined raceways for 'fastenings, and a separator movable to separate fastenings from the lower ends of said raceways, of a cover movably mounted over the raceways, and mechanism for lifting said cover and for releasing it to cause it to drop and jar the raceways in automatically determined time relation to the movements of the separator.

3. In mechanism for supplying fastenings, the combination with a plurality of inclined raceways for fastenings, and a separator movable to separate fastenings from the lower ends of said raceways, of a cover movably mounted over the raceways, and mechanism movable with the separator for lifting said cover and for releasing it to cause it to drop and jar the raceways when the separator is in a predetermined position relatively to the fastenings in the raceways.

4. In mechanism for supplying fastenings, the

combination with a plurality of inclined raceways for fastenings, and a separator movable in one direction to permit the rows of fastenings to move the downwardly along the raceways and in the opposite direction to separate fastenings from the lower ends of the raceways, of a cover movab-ly mounted over the raceways, and mechanism for automatically lifting said cover and for then releasing it to cause it to drop and jar the raceways each time the separator moves in the first-mentioned direction.

5. In mechanism for supplying fastenings, the combination with a plurality of inclined racewaysfor fastenings, and a separator movable to separate fastenings from the lower ends of said raceways, of, a cover movably mounted over the raceways, said cover having a projection thereon, and a member movable with the separator'for engaging said projection to lift the cover and for then disengaging the projection to release the cover and cause it to drop and jar the raceways.

6. In mechanism for supplying fastenings, the combination with a plurality of inclined raceways for fastenings, and a separatormounted for reciprocatory movements for separating fastenings from the lower ends of said raceways, of a cover movably mounted over the raceways, said cover having a projection thereon, and a pawl movable with the separator for engaging said projection to lift the cover and for then disengaging the projection to release the cover and cause it to drop and jar the raceways as the separator moves in one direction, said pawl being yieldable upon engagement with said projection to prevent disturbing the cover when the separator moves in the opposite direction.

- ERNEST MOORE.

- CERTIFICATE OF'CORRECTION. Patent No. 2,20%689. June 18, 191m.

ERNEST MOORE-.-

It is hereby certified that error a ears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correction as follows: Page 1, first column, line 140, after the word insert --it--; page 2, second column, line 140, claim 1.4., strike out "the" first occurrence; and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conforni to the record of the case in the Patent Office.

Signed and sealed this 8th day of October, A. D. 1914.0.

Henry Van Arsdale, (Seal) Acting Commissioner of Patents. 

